Ga. lawmaker to introduce medical marijuana bill

by Clay Neely - clay@newnan.com

Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) during his visit with Haleigh Cox earlier this month. Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive component of the marijuana plant.

Rep. Allen Peake, a Macon Republican, says he plans to introduce a bill Tuesday that would establish a process for medical marijuana to be legally administered in Georgia under certain circumstances.

Rep. Peake states that the bill would allow a liquid form of cannabidiol that would be taken orally to help those with seizures. Peake says existing law allows for the limited use of medical marijuana by those with glaucoma and cancer, but that program hasn't been active for years.

Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive component of the marijuana plant.

Rep. Peake says his bill would add seizures to the list and would allow for the drug to be administered by doctors through academic resource centers around the state. He says he was motivated to act after meeting with a young girl with a serious seizure disorder.

His plan to legalize a medicine derived from marijuana occurred after paying a visit to a local 4-year-old girl whose severe seizure disorder could be mitigated by the substance.

“I’m an unlikely champion for this cause. I’ve never done drugs. Never smoked marijuana in my life,” state Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon). “But I had a visit with Haleigh Cox, the daughter of a constituent of mine. The result of seeing the pain and suffering she goes through, having 100 seizures a day, and seeing a potential remedy through cannabidiol treatment, I was compelled to move to action.”